DemDaily: What Happened to National Pride (Month)?

DemDaily: What Happened to National Pride (Month)?

June 28, 2017

One of the great traditions of our country is paying tribute to the history and contribution of various ethnic, advocacy and cultural groups on the US calendar.

First declared as "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month" by President Bill Clinton in 2000, the purpose is to recognize the impact and contribution that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history and the world.

The month was chosen in remembrance of the June, 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, which was a turning point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

""I hope that in this new millennium we will continue to break downthe walls of fear and prejudice and work to build a bridge to understanding and tolerance, until gays and lesbians are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans." --Proclamation by President Bill Clinton, June 2, 2000

Obama White House was lit in rainbow colors to celebrate national legalization of marriage equality on June 26, 2016.

Now known as LGBT Pride Month, the month-long celebration is recognized worldwide through parades, picnics, parties, concerts, workshops and forums, as well as memorials for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.

Although the White House was silent on the subject during the George W. Bush years (2001-2008), President Obama recognized the month annually during his tenure (2009-2016).

"I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists." -- Proclamation by President Barack Obama, May 31, 2011

Under President Trump, however, the rights of LGBT citizens, let alone recognition of the month, have regressed. Despite Donald Trump's repeated campaign commitment to gay rights, President Trump has since run away from the constituency.

Donald Trump Holds a Gay Pride Flag Upside Down at a Rally in 2016

In February the Trump administration withdrew federal guidance on transgender students, in March, the U.S. Census Bureau decided not to include questions about LGBT identity on the 2020 Census, and earlier this month six members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS resigned, saying that Trump "simply does not care" about combating future infections.

Since Trump and the White House have declined to formally recognize LGBT Pride Month, Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) is introducing a Senate Resolution to declare June LGBTQ Pride month.